The story of Peaches and Sweetpea Part 3

Tanuj Rao :-

After discharge, Sweetpea took me to his apartment. The Sinhas had a smaller apartment in an adjacent tower of the same complex, and it was decided that they will rent it to me. For the first time I felt secured in Mumbai. I had a job, I had a place to live, and now I could think of bringing Aai from Nagpur. But first I had to talk to Mr. & Mrs. Sinha, who had invited me for lunch.
As I stepped into their apartment, I realised it’s not an apartment, but a penthouse on the 36th floor. As I walked in, I realised that the room we had discussed our payment with Neil was in fact his office, a very heterodox one though.
The door behind the single couch on which Neil sat the last time opened into a huge well furnished living space, which was huge enough to accommodate two like my Ajji-Ajoba’s house. A balcony afforded the bird’s eye view of the township and had luxurious seating arrangement. There was a bedroom, a common bathroom, a store room and a kitchen cum dining hall with a twenty seater dining table.
A spiral fleet of stairs from the living hall lead to the upper floor, which had two bedrooms, a master bedroom, a prayer room and a study cum library. Another fleet of stares led to the terrace with garden.

As I walked into the living hall after removing my shoes outside, I was greeted by the sight of Sweetpea’s parents seated on a sofa. No wonder Neil got his aristocratic features from his parents. He had his mother’s complexion, eyes and nose and his father’s high cheek bones, brows and lips. Both were charming and had uncompromising personality. The fact that they were highly educated, successful, gentle and courteous reflected from their demeanour.
While a very handsome Mr. Sinha was clad in grey three-piece business suit with a white shirt and a grey tie, Mrs. Sinha looked gorgeous in her yellow cotton saree, a white full-sleeved blouse and minimal jewelry.
Mr. Sinha had thick mustache and wore spectacles. He was bigger than Neil and had a streak of grey hair against jet black, that complemented his yellow complexion.
Mrs. Sinha was a tall woman with bronze complexion and long jet black hair combed and tied in a low bun. Her forehead bore a big red bindi and a pinch of vermilion on her parting. Her jewelry included a pair of conch shell bangles worn by Bengali married women, a Goddess pendant, a nose pin and gold ear studs.
Neil’s younger brother Neilesh was there as well.
I felt nervous as I had never talked to the administrators of the society. I was scared like hell.

Fortunate for me, Neil was by my side. He said “Meet my parents, Mr. Neiladri Sinha and Mrs. Damini Sinha.”

I joined my hands in a humble Namaste and bowed to them. But then it struck me. I looked at Sweetpea with curious eyes. Maybe Mr. & Mrs. Sinha sensed it and Mr. Sinha reciprocated my Namaste spoke “I am Mr.Neiladri Sinha.”
Mrs. Sinha was about to greet me, when Neil spoke “I am Mr. Neiladri Sinha too.”

Mr. Sinha said “But you are Neiladri Junior.”
Sweetpea replied “and you are Neiladri Senior.”

Mr. Sinha chuckled. Neil chuckled the same way as his father. With this, we all burst into laughter.

A happy family. I wish my family was like this. A family where parents and elder brother are noble and the role models for the youngest child. Neilesh was so lucky.

Mrs. Sinha reciprocated my Nameste too and said with a dimpled smile “I am Mrs. Damini Sinha. Please have a seat.”

I sat on a Sofa and so did Neil. We chatted for sometime as a servant brought refreshments.
I realised that Neil’s parents were store house of knowledge and advanced. I was nothing before them.
Lunch was served at 12 and consisted of Bengali and Odia delicacies. Afterwards, Neil showed me their other apartment at the first floor of another tower. It wasn’t as huge as the penthouse Neil lived in, but it was huge nevertheless and had three bedrooms, a common bathroom, a balcony, a kitchen and a living cum dining hall and basic furniture.
Oh my God! I had lunch with the Highest Rank holders of IAS and IPS, and they were people like you and me.

It was decided that they would rent me the 3 bhk apartment and it would be deduced from my payment. Neil was anyways paying me a huge amount and deduction of the rent wasn’t an issue.

Every evening after Neil would return from college, I would hangout with him and Neilesh. We would play cricket, go to movies, go for drives etc. For the first time I was enjoying life; for the first time I was living and not just surviving. But there was something strange about Neilesh. He didn’t behave like a ‘normal’ 14 year old; he was childish.

Around the same time I went to Nagpur for a couple of days and brought Aai along with me. At Neil’s insistence, Aai pressurised me to continue my studies even after six months of gap. Neil was now my best friend, and I hoped to find my first and only dream boyfriend in him someday.
A month later Sinhas returned to Delhi. We were scheduled to start shooting for our first Feluda story “Emperor’s Ring” the following day, where I would be essaying the role of Topshe, Feluda’s teenage cousin. I had to do a lot of homework for my earlier role. But I had decided to mould my new character on Neilesh, who gets dominated by his elder brother.

To discuss the schedule I went to Neil’s and he greeted me joyously. We were in his study, sipping on iced tea. At times, Sweetpea would appear lost, with his face totally blank. Something was bothering him.

I asked “Are you okay?”

Neil didn’t respond.

“Neil!” I touched his left shoulder.

He turned to me with a fake smile and said “I am fine. So lunchtime would be……”

I silenced him by putting my right index finger on his lips. “I thought I was your friend.”

Neil’s face fell, his eyes reflecting the pain he felt within. I was taken aback.
He gently moved my hand away and said “The Neiladri Sinha Jr. the world knows is a tough guy, an achiever and a rock star. But the real Neiladri Sinha Jr. is a loser.” Neil was pouring his heart to me.

He rose from his seat and pulled off his black tee. Here he was, only in his navy blue joggers. He had a toned muscular chest and six pack abs that showed even without straining, and a V line that went into his joggers and perhaps ended at his cock. It was a great sight to behold.
But then he turned his back to me and I was shocked. No doubt it was a powerful back, but there were scars across it. Lashes, as if someone has lashed him with a whip.

“I always boast ‘Neiladri Sinha makes his own way and strides on it’. But all my decisions are not correct. Once someone innocent had to pay for it.”

He paused for a while and continued “Long ago I had decided to distance myself from my parents, because they loved Neilesh more than me; or so I thought.”

Then pointing towards a giant portrait of an aristocratic old lady, he said “My parents never had time for me, the didn’t had time for my grandmother either. We were both lonely, and found our world in each other.”

Neil wiped a tear from the corner of his right eye and continued “Baba is Thammi’s only issue, concived after years of prayers to The Mother Goddess.